Chapter 348 - Demonic Miasma Forest
Any Skill above Level 50 required more than 5,000 Assist Points to advance, even if it had only one associated potential. Most of Han Wu’s Skills, apart from Dragon Fireball, demanded Assist Points across multiple potentials.
The most daunting of them was his Life Dragon Domain, which consumed thirteen times more Assist Points than a single-potential Skill. Raising it to Level 60 alone cost him nearly one million Assist Points and drained every crystal he had received.
Once he finally reached Level 60, he unlocked a new Skill. Like the inducement method that had created Dimensional Pocket, this one merged with his Life Aspect and transformed into Living Dimension. The Skill not only preserved Dimensional Pocket’s effects but also gained the ability to store living creatures, from plants to animals.
The drawback was steep. Upgrading Living Dimension demanded twenty times more Assist Points than a basic Skill. Han Wu felt both admiration and resentment toward it, knowing he would need to amass an enormous amount of Assist Points to strengthen it further.
Leng Ning and Meng Qi also unlocked new Skills through their cultivation, each influenced by their respective inducement methods. Leng Ning unlocked Liquid Frost, which infused her ice-based Skills with the fluidity of water.
On the surface, it seemed unimpressive, but in practice it was deadly. When combined with her Frost Dragon Fang, the strike erupted in a wide arc of splintering ice. The shards not only froze whatever they struck but also penetrated flesh, melting into the bloodstream before refreezing within the body and killing the target from the inside out. With this addition, her combat prowess rose dramatically.
Meng Qi unlocked Indomitable Vajra, a Skill that hardened his muscles like unbreakable diamond while simultaneously increasing his weight, ensuring he could withstand and resist even powerful blows without being thrown back.
With his companions’ newfound strength, Han Wu felt greater confidence in their upcoming mission. When the appointed time arrived, the three set out for the Violet Demon Academy.
The institution, renowned for its long history and prestige, radiated far more luxury than the Azure Sea Academy. Yet Leng Ning and Meng Qi remained unimpressed, convinced their own academy would one day rival its scale and influence after their victory in the competition.
Su Mei received word of their arrival and hurried out to welcome them. The supervising teacher followed close behind and repeated the mission briefing. Seeing that the details matched exactly what Su Mei had told them, the trio finally set aside their doubts. Leng Ning, in particular, chose to place a little more trust in her.
The situation in the Demonic Miasma Forest had grown worse, and they needed to act quickly. As a gesture of goodwill, the Violet Demon Academy granted them half of the promised reward in advance. Each received a crystal worth a million Assist Points along with a method for inducing a powerful Skill.
Han Wu, however, needed skills tied to dragons or life. The so-called powerful Skills held no appeal for him, so he traded his for another crystal of equal value. Using both, he advanced his Living Dimension to Level 44. At this level, its space now spanned forty-four square kilometers. It still fell short of his divine realm, but the expansion was more than sufficient.
While the others absorbed the Assist Points from their crystals, Han Wu took the opportunity to purchase an assortment of daily necessities from the Violet Demon Academy and stored them inside his Living Dimension.
Erebard, bound to him by contract, sensed the favorable environment within and decided to reside there. Fortunately, his current size made it possible.
By the time Han Wu completed his preparations, the others were also ready. They had grown noticeably stronger since the competition. Under the teacher’s watchful eye, the six of them stepped into the Demonic Miasma Forest.
No sooner had they entered than Han Wu noticed a faint violet haze drifting through the air. He analyzed it and learned that it was a blend of demonic aura and miasma. The concentration posed no immediate danger, but prolonged exposure could bring nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and eventually death.
Su Mei had anticipated this. She handed each of them an antidote and a simple gas mask. Han Wu almost mentioned that he had already prepared the same items, safely stored in his Living Dimension, but since Su Mei had provided them of her own accord, he chose to use hers instead.
With their breathing secured, Han Wu shifted his focus to their surroundings. The Demonic Miasma Forest stretched upward with ancient trees, their canopies blotting out the light. Insects and animals swarmed among the branches and undergrowth, long altered by the toxic air. Years of exposure had twisted their forms until even the most harmless creatures had become bloodthirsty beasts that would lunge at them with jagged teeth and claws.
Han Wu avoided using his Dragon Fireball in the forest, worried he would set the entire place ablaze, so he left the fighting to the others. Leng Ning unleashed Frost Dragon Fang, Su Mei summoned her imps, and Xue Qian loosed a shadow arrow that pierced through the mutated animals.
That was only the beginning. As the six of them pressed deeper, the miasma thickened until they could no longer see ahead. Without guidance, they would have wandered aimlessly and remained trapped forever. Fortunately, they had both Leng Ning and Su Mei.
Leng Ning relied on her Frost Dragon Eyes, which detected subtle shifts in temperature and allowed her to steer them through the fog and warn of approaching beasts. In contrast, Su Mei depended on her Rosy Eyes, which pierced the haze and bent weaker minds to her will. Together, the two guided the group swiftly through the forest.
After a day of constant travel and battle, exhaustion set in. Su Mei was about to set up a tent, but Han Wu activated his Living Dimension instead and gestured for them to enter. Inside, they found a sanctuary of greenery, flowing water, and soothing warmth—a sharp contrast to the oppressive Demonic Miasma Forest. What’s more, streams of fresh water wound through the space, giving them the rare luxury of bathing and resting in comfort.
Su Mei’s eyes sparkled with admiration as she took in the scene. Overcome with delight, she praised him without pause, “Han Wu, you truly are the man I chose. Bringing you on this mission was the best decision I’ve made.”